In May, 1851, alluvial gold was found in the Turon River, NSW, and suddenly the existing rural area became swamped with diggers hoping to find gold. By August of that year, Sofala had been established, with the richest gold-bearing  stretch of the Turon lying within its borders. By the end of the year Sofala was home to multiple pubs, a postal service, hundreds of businesses and thousands of people. The gold rush had well and truly gripped the region and Sofala was a major player. 

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Entering what remains of Sofala today, it is hard to imagine the chaotic scenes that would have unfolded in the 1850's. Now home to around 200 people, the few remaining streets of Sofala appear to be frozen in time. The sound of the Turon flowing can be faintly heard as we pull into the town. Greeted by a stamping battery, used in the later part of the gold rush, and a partial footbridge, the scene is set for a step into history. 

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We wandered around Sofala, roughly following the historic walking trail. We began by exploring the remains of the Sofala footbridge that was built in 1880 but lost to a flood in the 1980's, before being rediscovered and restored. We walked past the original postal office and telegraph station, now both private residences, and the original doctors surgery, now a book store. The town was quiet, with not many people around, adding to it's mysterious aura. It was early in the morning, so nothing was open as we walked past the local cafe, homed in another original building and a stones throw from the Royal Hotel, built in 1862 (although the original hotel that stood in the same place was built in 1851 but burned down in the late 1850's). We continued on our walk, taking in the old bank, the Gold Commissioners house and the old courthouse. Back where the two main streets join, there was a rustic display of old cars and other curious creations, clearly made by one of the local residents living across the street.